


Smile

by MateaHefler



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Out of Character, Slow Build, Smile, Swimming, slight romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-06
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 16:50:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3297524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MateaHefler/pseuds/MateaHefler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a separation and almost broken friendship, they meet again. Rin x Redaer</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Australia?" She whispered, smiling like an angel she was. "You'll come back right?"

"Of course."

"Then smile, Rin, don't frown like that. Your face will be stuck in that position and I... I like your smile."

Shyly, Rin did just that. He gave her that one smile she loved so much.

°°°

Dear Rin,

I am moving to Tokyo. I hope we will be back by the time you decide Australia is too lame for you.

I miss you, Rin. You and that smile of yours. It is just too cute.

Yours,  
(Name).

°°°

Rin,

My family says hello. We all miss you. It's been three months since you last wrote. Why aren't you writing back?

Did I say anything wrong?

Missing you.

°°°

Hey,

I am coming back to Iwatobi. You'll visit me, right? Even though you don't want of as a friend anymore? Please. I just....

I just want to see you.

(Name)

°°°

"Makoto," she waved at the tall boy playing with a kitten. "Are you on your way to Haru's?"

"Yeah. We're going to visit our old swim club."

"Can I come?"

"Of course." He smiled, green eyes closing as he beckoned her.

°°°

"Wow, Makoto." (Name) giggled. "You're such a scaredy cat. It was just Nagisa being an ass."

Makoto screeched again, crouching behind a blank-faced Haru, pointing at the entrance towards the pool.

A tall person was approaching, hidden in shadows. (Name)'s heart skipped a beat as the person spoke, pulling at the back of his cap.

"Rin?" She whispered, taking an unconscious step forward, left arm slightly raised in a desire to touch him, to make sure he is real. "Is that really you?"

The boy briefly glanced at her, but ignored her in favour of Haru. Her heart broke just a bit.

That was not a boy she thought of as her best friend.

°°°

"What happened to Rin?" (Name) asked Gou, almost giving the girl a heart attack. "He's so... So... Angry."

"He never told. Rin just decided to come back, ignoring me, mom.... Even his friends."

"Sorry, Gou." (Name) gave the girl a sideways hug.

"Why? It is not you who changed Rin."

°°°

"You want me to swim?"

"Yes."

"But, Gou, I am not as skilled as Haru or Makoto."

"...It's Kou."

"Is that really the only thing you got from my answer?"

"Yes."

"I'll still have to swim, won't I?"

"Of course, (name)-chan." Gou beamed. "You'll be a pseudo-competitor for the boys."

"I can't swim butterfly. You know Rin..." (name) broke off, clearing her throat. "I'm like Rei in the other strokes. Okay, I don't sink like a brick."

"You'll learn with Rei."

"I can't win with you, can I?"

"Nope." Gou cheerfully replied.

°°°

"I am sooo happy I went shopping for a swimsuit with you." (Name) muttered, sneakily taking pictures of the boys posing their choices. "They're so hot, Gou. Gou?"

(Name) looked at her maroon haired friend and rolled her (color) eyes. Gou was on her muscle-high and nothing short of a grenade could pull her out of it.

Turning back, (name) noticed Nagisa staring at her with a grin. A grin normal people would call creepy but the little circle of friends knew was just Nagisa. Or it was perverted grin- not even they knew.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"It's your turn now, (name)-chan." Nagisa practically sang, grasping the girl's hands in his.

"For what?"

"Swimsuit shopping." Grinned Makoto, his hands on his hips.

(Name) wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

°°°

"(Name)-chan~ Try this pink one!"

"... Where's the rest of it?"

"You have to try it!"

"You're fighting a losing battle." Informed Gou, browsing swimsuits and throwing them into (name)'s arms.

(Name) gave up and went to the changing room, holding up a pink piece of fabric Nagisa thought of as a good swimsuit. Putting it on, she looked herself over in the mirror.

"Dear god," She whispered, turning and staring at her backside. "It's all falling out."

"Show us the first one." Makoto called, Nagisa and Gou supporting him.

Taking a deep breath, the girl stepped out, striking a Superman pose with a little smile. Makoto stuttered and clapped a hand over his eyes, redder than a tomato, Gou snapped a picture (why, you didn't know), Rei was yelling at Nagisa and Nagisa was beaming and saying something about attributes.

For the next hour, it was like that. From outrageous patterns, headache inducing colors to all types of swimsuits- (name) has tried them all on. In the end, she trusted is judgement and chose a plain, black, one piece with grey stripes at the sides. It covered her shoulders and torso but left her legs bare. Haru was particularly satisfied with her choice and (name) rewarded herself with a swimsuit for swimming outside the swim club- black sporty one-piece with red dolphin above her left breast.

°°°

"Rin-senpai?" Nitori queried, staring at his blushing and choking senpai. "Are you alright?"

"What's with Matsuoka?"

"I think he's having a heart attack, Captain."

Mikoshiba went and looked over Rin's shoulder, golden eyes widening and a giant smirk appeared on his face.

"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend, Matsuoka." Mikoshiba drawled, placing his hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

°°°

Gou blew a whistle and (name) and Haru dove in. Water dimmed the sounds and (name) closed is eyes, enjoying the moment, before creating the surface and starting to swim. She knew Haru was ahead so she moved her legs and arms faster, breathing in with every stroke of her right arm. Haru reached the wall first but (name) pushed off the wall with more force but still- Haru left her behind and reached the wall first.

"Shit, Haru." (Name) panted, feeling the burn in her lungs from exertion. "You on speed or something?"

"No."

"Then I'm just lame." She laughed, climbing out of the pool.

"Yeah."

"OI!"

°°°

"What do you mean I have to swim with the rest of them too?" (Name) screeched. "Fine! But if I die, it's on your soul!"

(Name) stalked to the pool, lowered herself in and swam to her starting position beside Makoto. He gave her a tentative smile as they rose themselves, waiting for Gou to give them a sign to start.

(Name) swam faster, pulling ahead of Makoto and adding even more speed to the flutter of her legs and windmill movements of her arms. Touching the wall, she turned and pushed off, breaking the water like a torpedo. She touched the other side two seconds before Makoto, surfacing and breathing heavily as she leaned against the side of the pool.

"What was that?" She heard Nagisa whisper.

"That was a one very pissed off girl." (Name) snarled before smirking. "Besides, I am the best at backstroke- even better than the Crawl."

"You have a ten minute break, (name)." Gou called, jotting down the numbers. "Next, you swim with Nagisa."

"Can't I do that tomorrow? I didn't swim like that in years, Gou., and my muscles are already cramping up." (Name) groaned, barely managing to pull herself out with her shaking arms. "Also, I need more strength for tomorrow since I'll start learning butterfly too. Have mercy, you slave driver."

"Oh fine."

°°°

The next day, for (name), was nothing short of hell. Her whole body was sore from the workout it received the day before and she didn't look forward to this day's club activities one bit.

It didn't help that there was a quiz in Algebra, either.

°°°

"Wow, you suck at butterfly."

"Thank you, Nagisa. You're so kind." (Name) groaned, leaning against the side of the pool. "I can't catch the rhythm of that stroke."

"I can help you with the breaststroke." Nagisa offered, smiling like the sun he is.

"Nah, I am not a fan of breaststroke. Ever since my mother threw me in the deep hole in the water, I preferred the crawl and backstroke."

"Your mom threw you in a hole?" Makoto looked properly horrified at the little bit of information about the girl he knew for the better part of his childhood.

"Yeah." (Name) chuckled. "I bothered my mom to give me the boost to throw me over her head. It was fun but she forgot about the hole and I wasn't wearing my floaters and almost drowned until I just decided to pull out by smiling the crawl."

"How old were you?" Rei wondered, his arms crossed as he looked down at you with his beautiful violet eyes.

"Around seven, I think."

"You almost died."

"But it was fucking fun when the fear left my organism, Makoto."

"How come you're so fond of backstroke?" Wondered Makoto, sliding into the pool beside the dark haired girl.

"I am afraid of depths."

"Like Mako-chan is afraid of the water." Piped up Nagisa.

"Water accepts you. You shouldn't be afraid."

"Thank you, Haru."

°°°

Running.

(Name) didn't like to run but Gou has ordered and Gou's orders have to be obeyed unless one wanted to be tortured the next day.

So, there (name) was, jogging through a park, earbuds in her ears and her hastily made running playlist on. She timed her steps with the beat of the music, inhaling through her nose, exhaling through the mouth.

Wind played with the leaves and her hair, pleasantly keeping her body from overheating.

She never expected to bump into Rin.

They both stopped, looking at each other with wide eyes, frozen in place by the presence of a person they wanted to be around yet didn't.

"Hey."

"Hi." She croaks, feeling breathless. Her bright eyes are wide open, taking the boy in front of her in. Rin is handsome, she noticed, heart lodging in her throat at that piece of information her mind decided to send to her. "How..." (name) has to clear is throat, then continuing. "How are you?"

"Well now that... Now that I've seen you." Rin whispers, a bright blush coming over his face.

"You've seen me before and you haven't even said a thing to me." (Name) growls, shoving her hands deep in her pockets to keep herself from slapping him. "What was up with that? And why did you not write back when I, like a fool, a desperate fool who wanted nothing more than to keep in contact with her best friend, kept sending letters? Did you forgot that easily about me, Rin?"

"Never." He sounds so broken and (Name)'s anger evaporates like smoke with a strong gust of wind. "I have missed you more than anyone."

"I've missed you too." (Name) brushes tears away from her burning eyes.

The next moment, Rin is holding her and they are both crying, embracing each other tightly.

"Didn't I tell you to stop frowning, Rin? Your face did get stuck in a frown."

Rin's laughter vibrates beneath her cheek and she knows he's smiling the way she likes.


	2. Chapter 2

Naked.

 

She felt naked when he looked at her like that- burgundy eyes so intense, warm and focused on her, gaze seeing more than just her skin and clothes on her back. Rin was always like that, even when they were children. He would look at her and see deep into her soul. It was disconcerting. It made her feel naked and uncomfortable.

Then, she would tell him everything, unable to keep her mouth from opening and words, thoughts and fears, would tumble off her tongue. Rin never interrupted, only listened carefully to what she had to say and, when she was done, he'd be an advisor or a person to take her mind off of the bad.

Like that time when her father's fist met her face for the first time. Rin was the one who wiped her tears of shock away and helped her through the pain. Yet, even after offers of staying with Matsuoka family, (name) has refused, unwilling to leave her mother with her father- the woman was so blinded with love that she wouldn't leave the man torturing her.

That intense gaze and worry were on her right now, in the park they ran into each other, as they sat on one of the many wooden benches. Rin had, once again, wiped her tears away and held her hand through it all.

"I didn't forget you. I don't think I'll ever be able to." He whispered, looking somber and far more serious than she ever remembered him being.

"What happened, Rin?" (Name) asked in response, deciding that this was the time when Rin needed her help.

"I've encountered a wall and stopped swimming." At her sharp intake of breath, he gave her a grim smile. Pain and loss on a face of a lost little boy. (Name) could feel tears prick her eyes again. "Then I came back. To win, fulfill my dream, the dream my dad had so long ago. I can barely remember his face but for the pictures, you know, but I still remember his passion for competitive swimming, his dream of becoming something more than just a fisherman in some small town in Japan. And his rough palms, scarred from the nets and the hooks. They were gentle, like wings of a butterfly. Gou doesn't remember him at all even though she's just a year younger."

"Why are you so set on defeating Haru?" She whispered, breaking the tense silence.

"He was that wall."

(Name) did not know what to say. They've been great friends before everything happened. Rin was always so happy when he came back from training with Haru, Makoto and Nagisa- even though Nagisa annoyed him.

"It will work out, Rin. Just..." she stopped, tentatively placing her hand on top of his and, though he stiffened, Rin didn't reject her show of comfort, a solid confirmation that she would not leave him. "Just don't turn us away. Gou loves you, Makoto, Nagisa, Haru... They all do. I love you. You were my best friend and, though I love the rest too, they can never be what you've been to me." (Name) choked out, licking her lips before plowing on. She had to tell him. She needed to let Rin know how much she cared about him. "What you still are. Don't push me away again. I can't stand that."

"I'll try."

Those two words were enough to settle (name)'s spinning emotions down and she gave him a smile brighter than Nagisa's, brighter than the Sun.

Rin wondered if her smile was so beautiful when they were children in the sandbox.

"Your smile is more beautiful than I remember." He whispered, comparing her little girl to the teen she was now. "It was beautiful back then too but... There's more to it now."

"It's because of you."


	3. Chapter 3

"There's something different about you." Mused a burgundy haired girl, head tilted to the right as she scrutinized (name).

 

"Oh?" The girl in question said, smiling at Gou.

 

"You're smiling much more than usual. It suits you."

 

"Thank you!"

 

It was true. Ever since that fated meeting with Rin the night before, (name)'s heart has been lighter. Rin and her had their talk, exchanged numbers and jogged together for a little while before separating.

 

In the morning, she woke up to Rin's text waiting for her. He wished her a good day at school and asked her to come running with him. That added to her good mood.

 

°°°

 

(Name) pierced the surface of the water, smiling as the liquid wrapped around her body. She let her limbs work automatically, legs fluttering, palms cupping and helping her travel through the water. The experience was now liberating instead of constricting like when she worried about Rin.

 

"(Name)," called Makoto. She could hear a smile in his voice. "Are you swimming against Haru or just enjoying yourself?"

 

(Name) stopped swimming and turned to float on her back. Her eyes were closed and a smile played with corners of her lips. The boys looked at her, seeing some of the old (name) in her as she floated in the water. They didn't speak anymore, not wanting to disturb the peaceful state she was in.

 

°°°

 

"I will fucking kill you." Growled a sweaty and grumpy girl, her hair sticking to her head and neck, clothes clinging to her body.

 

"Not my fault you're not in shape." Rin smirked, jogging in place to keep his muscles from cooling down, unlike (name) who was panting, bent at the waist and hands placed over her knees. "Good thing Gou is making you run."

 

"I only run in two cases. First one is when something is chasing me. It means other people should start running too. Second," (name) grinned and straightened up, hands on her hips. "Food. Actually, there's three- anime."

 

"... You are going to die from a heart attack by the time you are forty."

 

"Excuse you, but I do swim."

 

"Mm, yes, I've heard." Rin smirked throwing you a bottle of water. Where he pulled it out from, (name) didn't want to know. "I've also heard that you beat Makoto."

 

"If I weren't pissed at your sister, I wouldn't have."

 

"By the way, that pink bikini..." Rin coughed, avoiding the girl's eyes. "It suits you."

 

"What?" (Name) whispered but Rin only chuckled and ran off.

 

"GOU SENT ME A PICTURE!"


End file.
